Being No. 1 is not the key for me anymore: Mathias Boe

What did it mean to be world No. 1? How keen are you to get back there?
To be world No. 1 is your goal when you are a child. Everyone playing badminton professionally is striving to be No. 1. To have been so is a great feeling. It was one of the main goals when I started playing. However, now when you have tried it several times, it is not that important. If I am 1, 2, 3 or 4, it doesn't matter. But there is a big difference between 4 and 5, and with the seedings, it is very important. It's nice to be No. 1 but it is not the key thing for me anymore.

Besides winning many Superseries titles, you are a two-time All England champion, won silver in World Championships (2013 Guangzhou) and Olympics (2012 London). Is there anything that you want to win so badly?
Olympics, I should say, is rare. It is only every fourth year. It is the biggest dream of every badminton player to be able to win the Olympics and I am no exception. Of course, I really want to win the Olympics. World Championships, All England, Olympics are the three key tournaments. We have been runner-up in both World Championships and Olympics and won All England twice (2011, 2015). It is nice to have these medals already. However, it is always nice to win and a gold medal (in Olympics) is better than a silver.

How big is the difference between an Olympic gold and silver?
To reach the final in the Olympics after winning that thrilling semifinal against the Koreans (Jung Jae-sung/ Lee Yong-dae 17 21 21-18 22-20) was one of the peaks of my career. However, losing the final to Chinese pair (Cai Yun/ Fu Haifeng 16-21 15-21) the next day was one of the greatest disappointments. On the one hand, you are happy that you are in the final and have already won a medal but on the other hand, you always know that you prove your shuttle glory for the gold. Luckily throughout my career, I have won almost everything. I am happy about that but the bad side of it is you get the feeling of winning and you are not really satisfied unless you win. When you win, you find that is the nicest thing. Olympic gold, as I said, is more fun.

How is the road ahead for Rio?
We are almost through with qualification. We have six or seven tournaments to improve our ranking. Our goal is to end in top four and we need to be selected by the Danish Olympic Committee and the Badminton Association of Denmark. Hopefully, that is a formality. We should be ready to go to Rio. Along the way, you have the All England (March 8-13), the Indian Open (March 29-April 3) and the Malaysian Open Superseries Premier (April 5-10). We have not won the Malaysian Open. So, it would be fun to also win Malaysian Open while also retaining our title in Birmingham (All England). These are the goals on the way to Rio. We take every tournament very seriously and try to win it. So, when Olympics comes, we know we are ready for the event.

How much do you follow Indian badminton?
I know badminton was invented here but is still relatively new to the world-class level. You have Gopichand, who won All England title. To have so many top 10 players is still new to India. Of course, it is getting into people's hearts, now that you have a lot of good players here. I was here for Indian Badminton League (2013) and it was much fun. Since then, my bond with Indian players including Gurusaidutt, Kashyap, Sindhu, Srikanth, Saina has been stronger. We talk regularly on tour and even go out for dinner. It is really nice to be able to connect with nationalities on tour.

To be playing for Mumbai Rockets in PBL must be less pressure than playing in Superseries, isn't it?
The pressure is the same even though it is a team event. You can rely on your teammates. But if all players say that, then nobody will win. You need to be able to handle pressure. The pressure here is bigger on the Indian players. They are playing on home soil. They strive to do their best. All eyes will be on them and that can make the players a little bit nervous. I also get nervous on courts. You never know what happens. For me, it is good in a way.

Can world No. 4 or No. 1 be nervous?
There is always a lot of pressure even though I have been privileged to win almost everything. You are nervous on the court. Once that feeling goes away, you don't have any goals. It is a part of playing, to be nervous, to be excited, to be tense. That's how you should be. Then you know you are alert and ready to perform your utmost. That will never go away. It is never nice to be nervous, sadly. However uncomfortable it is, you need that feeling of nervousness to give your best. It is a part of being an athlete. All athletes feel tension when they are on court or out to perform. When that is not in the blood anymore, then it is time to retire.

At 35, how long do you see yourself playing?
I still feel fit and young. My body feels fit and as of now, I feel like continuing for a few more years. My contract with Yonex expires in 2017 and I will talk to them. You need money after retirement. I am keen on continuing for a few more years. I feel I can still improve my game even though I wake up with stiff legs. I am still thirsty for winning more titles and believe I can do so.

Who has been your role model?
An idol may be too much for me but I have had some players who inspired me a lot when I was young. It was Indonesia's Tony Gunawan, who won everything, Olympics, World Championships with different partners. To me, he is the greatest men's doubles player in the history. I even had the privilege of playing with him in the Danish league. He has inspired me a lot. He played the type of badminton I really like and tried to copy him. He is the closest to an idol.

Is winning Rio gold your ultimate goal?
The dream is to win there. My goal is to play as close to 100 per cent as possible. If we do so, we will be difficult to beat.

What is the secret behind your successful partnership with Mogensen?
We have a strong marriage. We have been playing together for 11 years. On court, we stand together, we've got some of the same strengths and weaknesses. We know our weaknesses and practice on them daily. We are a good combination with left-right. I seek the net more and he is good more on smash and covers the back court. We are a good unit on the court.

BOE-MOGENSEN

Current rank: 4
Best rank: 1 (May 2013)

Career highlights:
Gold: Denmark Superseries (2010), French Superseries (2010), Superseries Finals (2010, 2011, 2012), All England (2011, 2015), China Open (2011), BWF World Superseries Finals (2011), European championships (2012), Korea Open Superseries (2014), India Open Superseries (2014), French Open Superseries (2014),
Silver: 2006 European Badminton Championships, 2012 London Olympics,
Bronze: World Championships (Copenhagen)